ISLAMABAD - Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Monday de-notified 25 PTI lawmakers from Punjab over defection. According to a notification of ECP, the Commission has de-seated the PTI dissident members in Punjab Assembly who had refused to follow their party head’s directives and voted in the favour of Hamza Shehbaz in the election of Chief Minister of Punjab.

The de-seated MPAs include 20 lawmakers elected on general seats, three MPs on women reserved seats as well as two on minority seats.

The dissident lawmakers are Raja Sagheer Ahmed, Malik Ghulam Rasool Sangha, Saeed Akbar Khan, Mohammad Ajmal, Abdul Aleem Khan, Nazir Ahmed Chohan, Mohammad Amin Zulqernain, Malik Nauman Langrial, Mohammad Salman, Zawar Hussain Warraich, Nazir Ahmed Khan, Fida Hussain, Zahra Batool, Mohammad Tahir, Aisha Nawaz, Sajida Yousaf, Haroon Imran Gill, Uzma Kardar, Malik Asad Ali, Ijaz Masih, Mohammad Sabtain Raza, Mohsin Atta Khan Khosa, Mian Khalid Mehmood, Mehar Mohammad Aslam and Faisal Hayat.Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Perviaz Elahi had sent the reference to the ECP under Article 63 A of the constitution seeking the PTI members disqualification over defection. PTI lawyer Faisal Chaudhry in the case told The Nation that it’s indeed a sigh of relief to see the constitution is being implemented. He also said that this move of ECP will strengthen democracy in the country.